Students Grades example essay topic

Some students argue they are not receiving a fair grade, while others wonder why they achieved such a high grade with such low-quality work. This is a growing issue in many American colleges. Professors and students have argued about grades for many years. At Dixie State College, as at many institutions of higher learning, grade inflation is an unfortunate consequence of professors' attempts at ameliorating their students. The real problem is not grade inflation, but the differential application of grading standards by different professors. Students' grades are often more attributable to professors' personal attitudes towards grades rather than the performance of the students.

Some students are disappointed in their grades, considering their efforts. A student may have worked hours on end to get an "A" grade on an assignment only to achieve a "B" or "C". While, on the other hand, the student's roommate scores an "A" because of the grading attitude of a much more lenient professor. Neither student wins in this kind of situation.

Some professors may argue that they happened to obtain the most brilliant students, and are rightfully giving out the "A" grade. This seems to escape the laws of probability. How could one professor receive all extremely intelligent students in one class? Even if all the students are that smart, there is no way they could have all done perfect work on that one assignment. Each student's quality of work will vary on different assignments, for a variety of reasons, including knowledge or skill on the particular effort or differential effort. Other professors may not claim to be blessed with the brightest students, but actually believe the high scores coming from their student's result from their superior teaching skills.

But, some students won't benefit from the professors's kills simply because of a late night out and falling asleep in class or missing class altogether. These students clearly aren't being influenced by their professors if they aren't even listening to the lectures. The problem is simply a lack of uniformity in grading standards. The solution, while seemingly simple, is the development and implementation of uniform grading standards. While this solution may only be approximated, due to limitations on the level of uniformity of assignments and objectivity of grading standards, it is certainly a solution worth affording substantial and ongoing effort. Students' future opportunities depend on their grades, not to mention to some degree their sense of identity and self-esteem.

Professors may minimize the importance of grades, and that learning is what matters. But, the benefit of gaining knowledge must also be balanced with the opportunity to gain employment. Some professors at DSC are aware of the growing problem, and are working to make it fair for their students, while other teachers are still handing out A's to those who aren't deserving of the grade. If the professors fight to make it fair, more and more will become aware of the growing problem of grade inflation, and will grade papers more fairly. Until then, grade inflation will still be a major problem not only at DSC, but also around different colleges in the nation..